At the 63rd Berlinale International Film Festival last February, film critics showered praise on Juliette Binoche and Paulina García for their performances, while off-screen, event sponsor Glashütte Original debuted its new leading lady, the Pavonina watch collection. German celebrities including Iris Berben, Natalia Wörner, and Katarina Witt attended Pavonina’s premiere on February 11 at the Direktorenhaus, a historic building that was transformed into a hip event venue for Berlin’s design and art scene.

Pavonina derives its name from the Latin word for peacock, though the allusion is somewhat ironic since it is the male bird that displays the most extravagant plumage. Designers drew aesthetic inspiration from the 1920s, a transformative era for women, who threw away their corsets, cut their hair into bobs, donned short skirts, and enjoyed unprecedented freedom and independence outside of the home. “They began to combine what was practical with what was beautiful,” said Yann Gamard, global president of Glashütte Original, at Pavonina’s unveiling. “Medallion watches worn as pendants on necklaces were not very practical, so women began to wear watches on their wrists. This practice became a fashionable trend in the 1920s, but men were slower to adapt this new way of wearing a watch.” Gamard points out that the first wristwatch produced in the watchmaking center of Glashütte was a 1927 piece with a small movement exclusively for a woman.

The distinctive cushion-shaped case reference popular vintage designs, while the flexible, integrated lugs enhance comfort and lend panache, particularly when splashed with sparkling diamonds. The collection presents a broad range of stylistic combinations with cases in stainless steel, mixed metal variations combining stainless steel and 18-karat red gold, and solid 18-karat red gold—all with or without diamonds and available with metal link bracelets and satin or Louisiana alligator straps. The dials—made of mother-of-pearl, ruthenium, or galvanized silver—feature guilloché engraving adding a touch of old-world elegance. For the red carpet, a jeweled model evokes the eyespot of a peacock tail with 212 handset diamonds that radiate from the dial onto the case. Quartz movements offer no-nonsense precision without the fuss of setting and winding, though we look forward to a mechanical automatic version in the future.

“Working for the last two years on this new ladies collection, we went deep into the appreciation of the talents and many facets of women,” said Gamard. “It has been a very interesting adventure and quite an experience for all of us.”